Each year, millions of people throughout the world participate in the activity of snow skiing. Some participate simply for fun, while others do it for serious sport competition. However, all participants, regardless of their type of skiing or skiing goals, receive the benefit of exercise.
Sometimes, for example, in the summertime, it is not possible or convenient to ski. During these times, and even times when one is able to snow ski, a person may wish to carry out exercises that mimic the movements performed during skiing. At least one machine exists that allows a participant to mimic ski-like movements with their arms. This machine generally consists of a vertical member that supports a pulley at an upper portion thereof and some sort of resistance device attached thereto. In at least one such machine, a cable is attached to the resistance device through the pulley, while handles, which are attached to the ends of the cable, are available to the user of the device. These handles, when in their resting position, are generally positioned at a height above the user's shoulders. To utilize the device, the user grasps one handle in each hand and pulls both handles at the same time in a direction towards the floor. As the user moves the two handles, the resistance device provides a resistance to the cables. The purpose of this exercise is to mimic the ski movement of planting ski poles in the ground and propelling forward by exerting force on the ski-pole handles.
More specifically, when one skis uphill or across country, they often use ski poles, with one pole in each hand. In Nordic or cross-country skiing, where a skier travels not only downhill but also along horizontal or even uphill terrain, ski poles are used to assist the skier in generating the forces necessary to move. As with downhill skiing, when moving up an incline or even along the horizontal portion of the course, skiers often use a “single-pole” propulsion technique, which is more efficient and practical than using both poles at the same time (“double poling”). Therefore, a machine that only exercises both arms simultaneously does not recreate realistic ski-specific movements.
Unfortunately, with the heretofore known devices of this type, both handles must be pulled down at the same time. If only a single one of the two handles is pulled down, the non-pulled the handle will be pulled up and the resistance device will not place a proper resistance on the handle being pulled down, resulting in an improper exercise.
One prior-art device used for ski-movement training provides a set of ski-pole-type elongated elements, each with an end that is held by the user and an opposite end that slides back and forth along a track coupled to the floor. As a user exercises in this device, they swing their arms alternately to mimic the movement of the skier using ski poles. However, this device suffers from the disadvantage of, first, requiring a large footprint on the floor to accommodate the elongated tracks in which the ski-pull-type elongated elements travel. Second, because each of the poles is coupled to the track in which it slides, the user is limited in the height in which the pole can be raised. As is known in the art, under real ski conditions, the skier will often need to raise his ski poles above shoulder height. Also, the user of this device must alternate feet and hands and cannot perform an exercise where both handles are pulled simultaneously.
One ski-training exercise device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,302,829 shows an exercise device that features a pair of one-way clutch drums (15a, 15b) coupled to a shaft (35), each drum being located on an opposing side of a flywheel (17). Importantly, U.S. Pat. No. 6,302,829 features two separate exercise lines (4a, 4b). When the two exercise lines (4a, 4b) are pulled, either together or separately, they rotate the one-way clutch drums (15a, 15b) which, in turn, rotate the shaft (35) and flywheel (17). Use of two separate lines in an arrangement such as that used in U.S. Pat. No. 6,302,829 has a large disadvantage in a “single-pole” exercise, i.e., where only one handle/cable is pulled at a time. Specifically, when the user pulls only one of the exercise lines (e.g., 4a), its clutch drum (15a) will rotate and its one-way clutch (214a) will engage the shaft (35) and cause it to spin along with the flywheel (17). Because the flywheel (17) is a weighted mass, its inertia keeps the shaft (35) spinning after the user has released the first exercise handle. Now, as the user switches hands and pulls on the opposing exercise line (4b), because the shaft (35) and flywheel (17) are already spinning at a high rotation rate, the clutch drum (15b) and its one-way clutch (214b) have nothing to grip until they have reached the speed of the spinning shaft (35). The effect is a dead spot of no resistance on the second exercise line and then a quick jerk as its clutch finally engages with the shaft. The arrangement makes for repeated discontinuous jerky pulls throughout the exercise period.
Thus, a need exists to overcome the problems with the prior art systems, designs, and processes as discussed above.